kid. >> this looks awesome. >> when a child's wish is granted we are reassuring them that their voices are being heard. >> i love you, evie. >> and we need to all step up and do that. >> beautiful. >> that is it for us this morning. take it away, are kohcarol. >> thanks so much. have a great weekend. "newsroom" starts now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com happening how in "the newsroom," november roars in. halloween havoc as a massive storm hammers millions from maine to texas. >> the water came too fast. there wouldn't have been time to get people out of their houses. >> reporter: people plucked from rooftops. this morning the storm marches east. also foot cut. >> i just learn how to survive. millions of americans who use foot stamps on notice. >> no matter how people look at

you keep your head up. >> reporter: one in seven of us desperately depending on this program to put food on the table. plus -- >> thanks for flying with delta. >> reporter: fire up that ipod, kindle or computer. delta becomes the first airline to let you use your gadgets below 10,000 feet but there's still one thing you cannot do. >> smoking is not allowed on any delta flight. >> reporter: you're live in the "cnn newsroom." good morning everyone. i'm carol costello, thank you so much for joining me. november is coming in like a lion, sorry to mix up weather cliches but a massive storm hammered millions from maine to texas and today that same storm will make life miserable for the northeast. the scariest incident perhaps in douglas, kansas, a school bus drove through deep water on the

road and plunged off a bridge into a swollen creek. look at that. ten children and the driver managed to climb through the roof hatch before rescue crews got them to dry land. >> we climbed out and got on top of the bus. i thought i was going to die. >> bus fell over, off the bridge into the river, and then we climbed out the window. >> all of this could have ended worse, could have washed on down and been trapped and taken longer for rescue to get to, the bus could have filled up with water quicker, it could have went completely underwater, kids might have washed downstream. from the high water we've had the last couple of days so we're lucky it ended like it did. >> you're not kidding. self e heavy winds ripped through a trailer park in ohio damaging nearly 80 homes and moving some completely off their foundation. one man said he just held onto his wife until it was all over. >> my wife and i were in bed

when something came through the wall and glass everywhere. i grabbed my wife and held her until it calmed down and we both jumped up and put clothes on. >> that happened near columbus, ohio, and in central texas, more than 1,000 homes had to be evacuated after a foot of rain caused creeks and rivers to overflow. some people had to cut through their roofs to escape the rising water. storm also blamed for at least two deaths in the state. cnn's indra petersons is in new york to tell us where the storm is heading now. good morning. >> good morning, carol. the storm is definitely now making its way into the northeast mid-atlantic. just to emphasize, 173 reports of wind damage and even five tornadoes reported yesterday in louisiana and even in illinois. a massive storm moved through the midwest overnight wreaking havoc on halloween for millions

and leaving at least two people dead in its path. heavy rain and strong winds as high as 40 miles per hour toppled tree after tree, even flipping these semis on their side in missouri, at least ten structures destroyed in northern arkansas, in central texas more than 1,000 homes were evacuated as rivers and creeks overran their banks. the national weather service reported more than a foot of rain across the area. emergency lifeboats and helicopters rescued dozens stranded on rooftops. >> water came too fast. there wouldn't have been time to get the people out of the houses. >> hundreds of homes and cars left partially submerged. >> if they don't know how to cross that water it will get you in the ditch. >> reporter: in austin, rushing waters flooded the roadways. most drivers played it safe while others dangerously navigated through streets overtaken by floodwaters. >> we're pushing him out. >> reporter: even pushing vehicles stalled by the rapid currents. the iconic downtown statue up to its waist in water, symbolizes the immense power of this halloween storm, as this large

cold front moves east today packing winds as high as 60 miles per hour it may snarl air travel and cause commuter headaches in major cities up and down the i-95 corridor. that's exactly what we're seeing now, carol, three-hour delays at laguardia, also around philly, two-hour delays. the strong winds anywhere from the northeast through the mid-atlantic again, winds as high as 50, even 60 miles per hour and another story, cold front's moving through for the weekend, temperatures dropping with highs only in the 40s in many northeastern locations by sunday, keep in mind today, they're in the 70s, that is a big drop, carol. >> it would be november though so it can't go by too much. indra petersons, thanks so much. new this morning, a bombshell out of germany, edward snowden, america's most wanted document leaker, wants to testify before congress, the american congress. snowden, whose nsa leaks are still rattling cages met with a german lawmaker in moscow.

fred pleitgen is in germany with more. >> reporter: hi, carol. i have the letter, it's interesting because it doesn't mention germany by name. the operative part of this letter says "i hope when the difficulties of this humanitarian situation" meaning the limbo he's in, in russia "have been resolved and i will be able to cooperate in the responsible finding of fact regarding the reports in the media" that of course pertains to the documents behind a lot of the media reports regarding the nsa for instance spying on the german chancellor but a lot of other things disclosed recently and from that and from his talks with edward snoweden this german lawmakers discerns that snowden would be able to travel to germany to testify in front of german parliament about the leaks coming out or perhaps stay in russia and have members of german parliament come there. there are a lot of hurdles. one of the things that snowden apparently also wants is to be assured he will not be deported

back to the united states if he were to come here to america but you state correctly apparently he told this lawmaker his goal is to testify in front of congress and bring everything to light. before that of course he would want some assurance he would not be sent to jail for a very long time for doing so. carol? >> and that's a tall order. frederick flight again reporting live from berlin. >> reporter: certainly is. consider this bumper sticker that never was, elect obama/clinton for 2012. turns out the obama campaign considered bumping joe biden from the ticket last year and replacing him with hillary clinton. obama's former chief of staff confirms that a switch was discussed as were many options but he says it was never considered seriously. jay carney says the president dismissed the idea out of hand. i know for a fact that president obama never considered this, never thought about it, never entertained it. the vice president has been a partner of his from the 2008

campaign on, an excellent governing partner and excellent campaign partner. so again, campaigns test everything but as the book itself says this was never considered by the president. >> obama's former senior adviser, david plouffe, also denies any serious intent. plouffe tweeted "never any, any consideration of vice president of hillary rodham clinton switch." congress is ramping up its investigation into the terror attacks on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya, as you'll recall, four americans including the u.s. ambassador to libya tide in that ferocious attack. and republicans critical of the white house response on the night of september 11th have demanded access to witnesses. well now they'll get their chance in just a couple of weeks, cia operatives who were on the ground that night will share new detailness of the siege and a failed attempt to rescue those trapped americans. drew griffin of the cnn investigations unit is pushing forward on this story.

he has this exclusive report. >> reporter: cnn learned a house intelligence subcommittee is scheduled to hear from cia security officers in benghazi, who are expected to tell a much more detailed story on what went on the night ambassador chris stevens and three others were killed in a terrorist attack. the men described by sources to cnn as former navy s.e.a.l.s, former army special forces and former marines were under contract to guard cia agents on the ground. the security officers were among those who responded when ambassador stevens' compound was attacked on the night of september 11th. sources tell cnn they will appear behind closed doors in a classified congressional hearing the week of november 11th. members of congress have been trying to get access to them, and to other actual cia agents, but as cnn has been reporting, those attempts at least to date have failed. sources tell cnn only one cia operative who was in benghazi

during the attacks has gone before the house intelligence committee. frustrated congressmen have told cnn they have unsatisfied with the investigation so far conducted by house intelligence committee chairman republican mike rogers. rogers' staff defends the work of the committee previously telling cnn the exhaustive review included nine full committee hearings, roundtable discussions with some administration officials, and interim report, and vowed the investigation continues but still, according to sources, only one of the estimated nearly two dozen cia operatives on the ground has testified before members of congress. fred burton, a former state department diplomatic security agent, has written a book about the benghazi attack, now being turned into an hbo movie. >> congress, as well as the agency, are going out of their way to protect whatever it was that they were doing operationally in libya. >> reporter: and sources say the cia has been trying to keep its

employees quiet. cnn reported earlier that some operatives involved in the agency's missions in libya complained they had been suggest to frequent even monthly polygraph examinations to find out whether they've spoken to congress or the media, according to sources with deep inside knowledge of the agency's workings. the cia says this is patently false, telling cnn not a single cia officer who was on the ground in benghazi during the attacks has been subjected to any cia polygraph intended to discourage them from speaking to congress or as a retaliation. adding that to date some of these officers have already spoken to the oversight committees on benghazi. cnn has heard from congressmen who are unconvinced they are getting the whole truth. one congressman tells cnn on condition of onone nimity, we know what the cia tells us they were doing in libya, but it is unclear if we really know what the agency was up to.

>> and drew tells us lawmakers want three main questions answered by the cia operatives who will testify. first of all, what was the cia doing in libya? what happened during the failed rels cue attempts and did the administration know immediately this was a planned terrorist attack? we may get the answers to those questions soon. still to come in "the newsroom," police say kendrick johnson's death was a bizarre accident but his family insists it was murder. now the fbi will reopen the investigation. [ male announcer ] pepcid® presents: the burns family dinner.

why would i take one pepcid® when i could take tums® throughout the day when my heartburn comes back? 'cause you only have to take one... [ male announcer ] don't be like the burns. just one pepcid® complete works fast and lasts.

smoke? nah, i'm good. [ male announcer ] celebrate every win with nicoderm cq, the unique patch with time release smartcontrol technology that helps prevent the urge to smoke all day long. help prevent your cravings with nicoderm cq.

there is hope the family of georgia teenager kendrick johnson will find justice. the fbi will look at their son's

death with fresh eyes. cnn aggressively pursued answers in johnson's death after authorities ruled he died accidentally even though some parts of their investigation didn't add up. cnn's victor blackwell is on the case. >> no justice! >> no peace! >> reporter: after months of rallies and protests the family hopes they will get justice. >> at this time however i am of the opinion a sufficient basis exists for my office to conduct a formal review of the facts and investigation surrounding the death of dkendrick johnson. >> reporter: they will head to value dass ta, georgia, to conduct a federal investigation into the death of 17-year-old kendrick johnson. >> i will follow the facts wherever they lead. >> hallelujah! thank you, jesus! >> reporter: kendrick's mother

watched the announcement on a portable tv on the street corner where the family continues its eight-month sit-in demanding answers. >> i'm happy and we trust in the lord and we just have been down here rallying for 32 weeks, haven't been for nothing. >> reporter: the johnson family never believed the local sheriff's explanation that kendrick suffocated after squeezing his 19 inch shoulders into the 14 1/2 inch center of a rolled gym mat to reach for a shoe in the middle of the school day. >> his parents always maintained that their son was killed and the only question we want to know is why are they covering up for whoever killed their son. >> i believe indeed that he was murdered. >> do you have any idea who may have murdered him? >> no i don't. that's what we want to get down to the truth. >> reporter: cnn has been reporting on this case for months, uncovering details of the sheriff's investigation, like why these shoes found yards from kendrick's body were not collected as evidence, and how

this blood stain got on this wall in the gym and why investigators never found whose blood it was. >> you don't believe there was a thorough investigation by local authorities, mr. johnson? >> no, i don't. >> reporter: in a statement to cnn the attorney for the lowndes county sheriff's office writes "while sheriff prine has every confidence that his officer's investigation was handled with the necessary diligence to assure that all leads were examined and exhausted, he welcomes the u.s. attorney's further review of the case." on wednesday a judge ordered lowndes county sheriff's office to hand over its full investigative file, including never before seen surveillance video from inside the gym where kendrick died. >> got to continue to fight on until justice is done for k.j. >> reporter: the u.s. attorney says his office received hundreds of calls from around the country from people passionate about this case, but he said in his statement he reminded everyone that facts, not opinions, nor emotions, no

matter how sincere, are the basis of a legal investigation. again the fbi is now coming in to support his investigation to get answers to some very basic questions. carol? >> i note that there is surveillance tape from inside the school. have the johnsons received any of that tape? >> reporter: just the couple of clips we received and aired on cnn. they have not received it because there's so much, for tech savvy people it's about a terrabyte of information. the attorney for the sheriff's office and tech expert are working on issing to hand to the family and cnn for the family's lawsuit and our joining of the lawsuit. >> victor blackwell reporting live from macon, georgia, this morning. still to come in "the newsroom," payments being cut today to millions of people on food stamps, after the break what washington plans to do with

the $5 billion it says it will save. [ male announcer ] this store knows how to handle a saturday crowd. ♪ [ male announcer ] the parking lot helps

by letting us know who's coming. the carts keep everyone on the right track. the power tools introduce themselves. all the bits and bulbs keep themselves stocked. and the doors even handle the checkout so we can work on that thing that's stuck in the thing. [ female announcer ] today, cisco is connecting the internet of everything. so everyone goes home happy.

just as winter heating bills start barreling in more people are forced to make tough choices when it comes to families. starting today payments get slashed for the 47 million people on food stamps, that's one in every seven americans. the 5% cut means $5 billion in savings for the federal government but for a family of four it's $36 less for groceries every month. cnn correspond enterois aflores

live in new york to tell us more. good morning. >> good morning, carol. it's been dysfunction junction in washington and with he know when decisions are made in washington they impact real people around the country and in this case, the timing of the end of this temporary boost to food stamps couldn't come at a worse time. we're weeks away from thanksgiving, hanukkah, and christmas, and usually republicans are blamed for these types of cuts, in this case, the finger is pointed at the white house. it sounded like a great idea when it was launched, a program aimed in part at making school lunches healthier. >> we're determined to finally take on one of the most serious threats to their future, and that's the epidemic of childhood obesity. >> reporter: to fund that war on obesity the white house borrowed money from the war on hunger. >> some of the funding comes from rolling back a temporary increase in food stamp benefits or s.n.a.p. as it's now called,

starting in the fall of 2013. >> reporter: that's now, when the s.n.a.p. program runs out of money from the 2009 american recovery and reinvestment act. >> after these cuts, the average benefit per person per meal will be $1.40. >> reporter: the cuts impact 47 million americans, including 22 million children on food stamps and 9 million elderly or seriously disabled people according to the center of budget and policy priorities. >> what did you have for lunch? >> reporter: like catherine mckinnon who went from grandma to a single mother of three when her daughter died. each month she gets $358 in food stamps to feed a family of four, about $4 a meal in a city where a box of cereal at her local store is $4.50. she sells cans to make ends meet. >> no matter how people look at you keep your head up. >> reporter: the president said he'd negotiate more funding with congress but negotiating with

congress right now seems unlikely. >> i know a number of members of congress have expressed concerns about this offset being included in the bill, and i'm committed to working with them to restore these funds in the future. >> reporter: his gamble even upset some congressional democrats. >> i did not want to do that. this was a bad, these were bad choices to make. >> reporter: mckinnon already supplements food stamps eating two meals a day at a soup kitchen. senate version of the next farm bill which funds food stamps proposes cutting nearly $4 billion more over ten years. the one in the house cuts $39 billion more. >> we need to reform the food stamp program with better policies. i'm not so much concerned about the planned spending reduced as is getting policies that promote work and diginitdignity. >> reporter: for catherine it's about making ends meet. >> i'm just learning how to survive. >> we talked to the food bank for new york city and the ceo

tells us that they could be devastating not only for the food bank but for pantries around the country and they feel they say that they have been the first line of defense for the war on hunger at a time when they say that they are seeing more and more clients like these, carol, they say veterans, people who are unemployed who have never seeked assistance before, and believe it or not, they also are seeing a lot of educated college educated people. carol? >> rosa flores reporting live for us this morning. still to come in "cnn newsroom," remember this, the last u.s. bat troops to leave iraq? today there are new calls from iraq for a return to the u.s. military. they need help. we'll tell you more, next. the secret is out. hydration is in. [ female announcer ] only aveeno daily moisturizing lotion has an active naturals oat formula that creates a moisture reserve so skin can replenish itself. aveeno® naturally beautiful results.

aveeno® help the gulf when we made recover and learn the gulf, bp from what happened so we could be a better, safer energy company. i can tell you - safety is at the heart of everything we do. we've added cutting-edge technology, like a new deepwater well cap and a state-of-the-art monitoring center, where experts watch over all drilling activity twenty-four-seven. and we're sharing what we've learned, so we can all produce energy more safely. our commitment has never been stronger.

they're not usually this thin, this light. ♪ they don't let you touch and draw, not like this. ♪ this is not just a tablet. it has a click in keyboard and microsoft office, ♪ this lets you run your favorite apps next to your favorite apps. ♪ this is the new surface. the one device for everything in your life.

for those nights when it's more than a bad dream, be ready. for the times you need to double-check the temperature on the thermometer, be ready. for high fever, nothing works faster or lasts longer. be ready with children's motrin. good morning. i'm carol costello. thank you so much for joining me. iraq needs help, as in military help, from the united states. this comes from iraq's prime minister, the same man who endorsed america's exit from iraq. well it turns out, it turns out the american military did keep a tight control over al qaeda and iraq needs america's help in doing that again. senior white house correspondent brianna keilar is in washington

with more. good morning. >> reporter: carol, good morning to you. probably a lot of americans aren't ware of what's going on in iraq at this point, they sort of maybe stopped paying attention after u.s. troops left the country but it's really become a very dire situation and the white house is certainly very concerned about it. couple years ago president obama highlighted as u.s. troops were leaving that they were leaving a stable and self-reliant iraq, a very different picture now, very violent. the u.n. says 7,000 iraqi civilians have died this year, that is on par with 2008, violence we haven't seen now for about five years, and that is really the backdrop where you have prime minister malachi coming here to meet president obama today. we expect he will be asking for military assistance. there is some fighter jets that are on order from iraq to the u.s. u.s. officials telling us those are going to continue, that they're also open perhaps to giving more intelligence help to iraq, but it's a very dire situation, and especially, carol, when you're looking at

bordering syria and iran and really the issues with the region, the situation in iraq is very important in relation to the other flashpoints we're seeing there in the region. this is a very big deal today. >> a big deal but is it likely president obama will be forthcoming with military help from iraq? >> the u.s. says, carol, that it is open to certain types of military assistance, not closing the door obviously, you see the fighter jets heading to iraq that are on order. i think the real concern for a lot of americans would be are we talking about american boots on the ground in iraq? well, you have malachi who brokered the deal that meant that u.s. troops were leaving entirely, and certainly there's a lot of war-weariness in the u.s. for that to happen. i think you're talking more about intelligence, material, military equipment going to iraq from the u.s., but there's a lot

of criticism as well coming from lawmakers, carol, they feel like ma lachi needs to step it up. he manufacture sized a government dominated by shiites that excluded sunnis and that is a situation ripe for al qaeda and its affiliates to exploit. jay carney yesterday saying so far it hasn't taken hold bewhen you have the sunnis marginalized, al qaeda tries to start a sectarian cycle and take advantage of that. i think the white house and many lawmakers and lawmakers republican and democrat want to see that change. >> we'll see. just six people signed up for obama care on the federal insurance exchange on day one. papers detailed the meetings. chris cuomo asked jay carney about the initial low signup on cnn's "new day."

>> the numbers about early returns of who is signing up with obama care are terrible. that's just how it is, they're very low. the real question is how are you going to handle not getting to critical mass which is the key to making this affordable obama care, the affordable care act, that's the affordable piece, is this pool of coverage. what do you do if you don't get the numbers you need? >> first of all we are going to get the numbers we need. we believe we're going to get the numbers we need. we have a six-month open enrollment period for that reason. the numbers cited in the reports are from notes and by definition, when you have a website that isn't functioning, you're going to have problems and we've owned up to that repeatedly. nobody is more upset than my boss, the president of the united states, with the fact that the website hasn't been working well. that's why he's made sure that we have really smart people, extra eyes, extra brains on this problem working 24 hours a day to improve the user experience.

when it comes to low numbers early in the enrollment stage i think we have to look at massachusetts, which under governor romney introduced health care reform plan very similar to what the president is introduced here and in their first month of enrollment only 123 people enrolled for premium paying plans in massachusetts. they had massive enrollment toward the end of the enrollment period. we always expected enrollment figures to be low. we were saying that before october 1st, obviously the website problems have made it worse but that's why we're working every day because the website is just a means to an end. the end here is getting affordable health insurance to americans who haven't had it in the past. >> the administration has called in experts from google and other tech giants to help fix the obama care website and say the site should be fixed by the end of november. here is something for you to consider if you're going over open enrollment options for your health insurance. the obama administration is loosening rules covering flexible spending accounts. cnn's christine romans joins us

from new york with more. good morning, clis teen. christine. >> good morning, carol. this is a great time to figure out how much money you should set aside pre-tax dollars to pay out-of-pocket medical expenses. the treasury department saying you will be able to roll over $500 a year if necessary. remember that use it or lose it rule, for years if you put money in the flexible spending account and didn't use all of it you lost it. now you will be able to carry over $500 into the next year. there is some 14 million americans who use these flexible spending accounts, also called fsas, so this will affect an awful lot of people. you will be able to roll that over. it should be noted the limits have changed, used to be $5,000 you could set aside pre-tax dollars to pay out-of-pocket expenses. now it's more like $2,500 so do the math on what your family consumes in health care and out-of-pocket expenses are. at least you know, carol, you can roll over $500 of it. i used to run at the end of the

year and buy a pair of glasses or stock up on a bunch of stuff that i needed so i could use all the money and now you don't have to do that anymore. >> we'll check and do our homework. thank you, christine romans, very much. still to come in "the newsroom," you'll soon be able to keep your electronic devices on during takeoffs and landings but why this sudden change from the faa? will this make the flight attendant's job that much harder?

for those nights when it's more than a bad dream, be ready. for the times you need to double-check the temperature on the thermometer, be ready. for high fever, nothing works faster or lasts longer. be ready with children's motrin.

female narrator: the mattress price wars are ending soon the mattress price wars are ending soon at sleep train. we've challenged the manufacturers to offer even lower prices. now it's posturepedic versus beautyrest with big savings of up to $400 off. serta icomfort and tempur-pedic go head-to-head with three years' interest-free financing, plus free same-day delivery, setup, and removal of your old set. when brands compete, you save. mattress price wars ends soon at sleep train. ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪

delta will be the first, yes the first airline to allow passengers to use ipods, kindles and other electronic devices during takeoffs and landings. that will make delta's job a whole lot easier, as least we think so. >> your mobile phones and other electronic devices should be

turned off. once airborne, we'll let you no he when you can use approved electronic devices, but note that some items such as phones may not be used in flight at any time. >> you can only use your electronic devices during takeoff and landings in airplane mode. are flight attendants going to be checking every device to make sure it's in the proper mode? is that even possible? laura gladding is the president of the association of professional flight attendants, she will join us shortly from new york. we are having technicalish youi issues. sean cassidy is live with us in d.c., welcome. >> thank you, good morning. >> good morning, so my first question, all this time i thought our electronic devices interfered with flight equipment and that if i had my kindle on the plane would crash. so that's, suddenly doesn't seem to be true? >> well the fact of the matter is that nobody has ever comprehensively determined what the actual impact of these electronic devices has been.

so we're introducing a meth methodical process arrived at clab rave at this with key stakeholders that allows us to maintain the safety bar in our industry but introducing level of flexibility for our passengers to use these devices. >> are newer planes more equipped than older planes? is there a difference? >> there is a big difference because some of the design elements you see with the new airplanes were done with the mind of making them much more resilient to various kinds of electronic interference, which frankly was not as much of an issue back maybe 10, 20 years ago when they were building older category transport aircraft. >> let me ask you this question. i don't think we'll get laura back. laura, you're here? >> yes, i am here. >> you can hear me. i'll ask you this question. so these devices have to be in airplane mode still during takeoffs and landings. how are flight attendants going

to make sure everybody's, you know, following the rules? >> well fortunately now what we have is a situation where we're informers, not enforcers, so we're going to be informing the passengers what to do, but we're not going to be standing there arguing, there will be some policy in place for noncompliance but i don't think we're going to be looking at gadgets and making sure they're in airplane mode. >> sean that brings up the question like i know because i fly every other weekend that people don't obey the rules now, so if laura just says you know, you know the rules, the new rules, i'm hoping you follow them, like how can you be sure that passengers will do that and does that concern you? >> well the simple fact of the matter is we can't. we were never going to know that 100% of the passengers follow the normal guidance such as turning on the seat belt sign. we're confident that most of them do, and as part of this process, actually there's a comprehensive guidance material

right here that the faa has already put out. what it does is it allows us to, if we suspect that our instruments might be getting interfered with, then it allows us to proactively ask that to all the passengers to turn their devices off until we can determine if there was a relationship between those things being turned on and something being affected in the airplane. so it's proactive in the sense it gives a lot of guidance about what can and cannot be used and it's also proactive in that we will continue to monitor the situation and make sure that liberalizing this policy doesn't create any issues down the road. >> gloria, the last question to you. is it really that big a deal for to us turn off our devices in the ten minutes it takes to take off and land? was this division made more for a political reason than an airline safety reason? >> well, i can only trust that they've done what they need to do to ensure that it's safe but i think for the flight

attendants it gets us off on the right foot of better relationship with the passengers, not being hall monitors. you know the compliance is still in place with regard to laptop computers and other large items that could be dangerous, if they're thrown around the cabin, but i think that this was an improvement for us, because it really was getting to be quite a task trying to argue with the passengers. we had a job to do. we were told to ensure that all electronic devices were turned off, and yet people didn't think it was necessary, weren't doing it, but as far as safety is concerned, you know, we're going to monitor it, make sure it's stowed safely, and again, we're looking forward to a nice taxi out and a nice start with the relationship with our passengers. >> me, too. laura galalading and captain se cassidy thank you. the smart rifle, a technological marvel. this baby will make a marxsman out of a first time shooter. >> you hit it.

>> this rifle takes the sport out of shooting and aims for you. i don't follow the rules, ooh, scandal. >> i know you're talking about my show. >> no, i'm talking about your body. ooh, scandal. >> the hottest black actress in hollywood hosts "saturday night live" but will kerry washington go there? "snl" under fire for its lack of diversity. can hollywood's gladiator in a suit make it all better? that's new in the next hour of "cnn newsroom." [ male announcer ] pepcid® presents: the burns family dinner. why would i take one pepcid® when i could take tums® throughout the day when my heartburn comes back? 'cause you only have to take one... [ male announcer ] don't be like the burns. just one pepcid® complete works fast and lasts.

a confident retirement. those dreams, there's just no way we're going to let them die. ♪ like they helped millions of others. by listening. planning. working one on one. that's what ameriprise financial does. that's what they can do with you. that's how ameriprise puts more within reach. ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ some people call this song a little rapy. others couldn't get enough of it. by the way, however you feel about it, robin thicke's hit maybe a ripeoff of the 1977's

hit "got to give it up." his family has now filed a lawsuit. compare the songs for yourself. ♪ ♪ ♪ wow. nischelle turner, when you hear the songs one right after the other, you can hear the similarity. >> reporter: there are similarities. but this is actually a counterclaim by marvin gaye's he irs. and like we said, yes, there are similarities between the songs. and robin thicke and who all wrote the song said as much in a

lawsuit that they filed in august to head this off. they admitted that blurred lines is quote, reminisce sants, of that era sound. but they denied that there were any other similarities. now, of course, the real question might be where is the line between this and rip off. because in the gaye's family, they quota -- he was trying to do a song like "got to give it up." the music publisher who is responsible for protecting marvin gaye's music also represents fer real williams. because the gaye family went to them first and they declined to sue over this. they're accusing him of stealing from the 1976 hit "after the dance." and they also suggest that robin thicke has a, quote, marvin gaye

fixation. now, i have a bit of a marvin gaye fixation. >> i did back in the day. >> reporter: so, yeah, it's gotten a little bit on the personal side there. >> okay. well, keep us posted. this gets -- this is really more fascinating than i originally thought. >> reporter: yeah. >> nischelle turner -- >> reporter: you're like. wow, i didn't see it going there. >> still to come in the "newsroom," rachel nichols sits down and talks with jon lester. but the big question is, when will he shave off that beard? [ coughs, sneezes ]

i have a big meeting when we land, but i am so stuffed up, i can't rest. [ male announcer ] nyquil cold and flu liquid gels don't unstuff your nose. they don't? alka seltzer plus night fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a decongestant. [ inhales deeply ] oh. what a relief it is.

[ inhales deeply ] because what you dont know can hurt you.urance, what if you didn't know that it's smart to replace washing-machine hoses every five years? what if you didn't know that you might need extra coverage for more expensive items? and what if you didn't know that teen drivers are four times more likely to get into an accident? 'sup the more you know, the better you can plan for what's ahead.

talk to farmers and get smarter about your insurance. ♪ we are farmers bum - pa - dum, bum - bum - bum -bum ♪ the world series is over, but will the beards stay on. the boston red sox are not just champions of major league

baseball, but of facial hair. we sat down with an ex-exclusive interview with the pitching great, jon lester. you had to ask him about his beard. you had to. >> reporter: the world series ratings were up 20% and that was partly because of the great storiline of the boston red sox. and jon lester was certainly one of the color characters. now a two-time world series champ. he won two of the four games they won in this series. and of course, everyone wanted to know about the great movements they had, the tie to the community with "boston strong." and all of the things that made this such a compelling watch. the beards. it's got to be a big question, right? i asked him. can you shave now that you've won the world series? >> i don't think so. i think old jonny gomes and mike napoli would have something to

say about it. but when the off season hits i'll give it a trim and try to hold on to it until spring training. it's become mama's decision more than mine when it's all said and done. >> he said that even after wearing a world series back in 2 2007, most people didn't recognize him. but now that they all have the crazy beards he he can't even go to starbucks without someone saying, you must be a red sox. we also talked about the allegations about the cheating allegations that some people had in the first game. the major league baseball came out and said he did nothing wrong. he is a cancer survivor. he had limb foam ma when he was 22 years old. and we'll have more for you tonight on "unguarded". >> there was something on his glove. what was it.

>> he called it a green goo. he said it was resin and baseball checked it out. everybody involved said he was clean. you no how the internet is, people see something and they want to talk about it. and he was open in this conversation about what it meant to him to have this stuff hurled at him. >> i'm just a bitter tigers' fan. i can't help it. thank you so much. i appreciate it. the next hour of "newsroom" starts now. happening now in the "newsroom," it's no halloween treat as a monster storm rips through the midwest and now it's ba to la slam the northeast. plus this. >> i think this is the future of fire. >> it's a new way to shoot. a smart rifle that can aim for you. turning a first-time shooter into a skilled marksman.

comedy maybe -- does the popular show "saturday night live" have a diversity problem. and no celebrating. will the nfl become the no-fun league? second hour of "newsroom" starts now. good morning. i'm carol costello. thank you for being with me. get ready for a miserable weekend in the northeast. that massive storm that messed up halloween for millions in the midwest is now on its way east. take a look at this. this is scary. in douglas, kansas, a school bus tried to drive-through standing water and went over a bridge and into the creek below. the driver and ten children were able to climb through the roof of the bus before rescue crews arrived. >> i was scared. but i really -- my friends -- i

tried to put them first to get them out of the watt. >> this could have ended up a lot worse than it did. it could have washed on down and been trapped and taken longer for rescue to get to. >> strong winds tore through ohio and caused a tree to come crashing down in worthington now columbia, ohio. >> we heard a loud crash. and the boys looked up and turned around and high-tailed it that way. after that, all of these branches that you see came tumbling down right where they were standing. >> cnn's indra petersons is in new york city to tell us where the storm is heading now. >> that storm is really starting to impact the northeast. see all of these dots that are concentrated here, these are all reports of storm damage. we're talking about 173 reports of damage from wind and even five tornado reports in louisiana and also in through illinois. that's how powerful the storm

was. now it's making its way into the northeast and into philadelphia. we have severe thunderstorm watches. winds as high as 70 miles per hour. look how, spans sift this is. anywhere from new england all the way down through the mid atlantic. winds as high as 50 and 60 miles per hour. right now, already thanks to just the winds, three hour delays out toward laguardia. and even now in newark, delays just under two hours. think about if your plane is coming from one of these locations, you're going to be impacted somewhere else. currently, buffalo gusting to 47. philly gusting to 37. we're definitely talking about the strong winds out there. and notice the system, it's the only thing on the map. it's bringing the warm air right into the northeast. it feels like spring time temperatures today.

it's going to make its way offshore. and behind it there's dry air and milder conditions. here is the big change. three cold fronts expected to go through the northeast here as we go through the weekend. temperatures today, it's nice. all the warm air coming out of the south. 70s today. boston looking for 71. new york 71. even atlanta looking for 71 degrees. as the cold fronts goes through, it's going to drop significantly. many places waking up into the north east by sunday morning just into the 40ing. definitely a big change. first is the spring type storm. then you talk about strong winds and rain and then it's just plain cold. >> thanks so much. millions of americas have smartphones and smart cars are just around the corner. so a smart rifle may not comes a

shock. it har nezs the brains of a fighter jet to turn anyone into a sharp shooter. here are the details from wfaa. >> it's billed as one of the baddest weapons to date. meet the world's first smart rifle. >> send it. >> manufactured by a texas company, it makes promises unlike any other firearm in the market. [ gunfire ] >> reporter: ones we had to see to believe. >> this is our network tracking scope. >> reporter: on a hill over an hour from the metroplex, we met gary smith, sales director with tracking point. >> this is revolutionary. when it first boots up -- >> reporter: he's part of the austinbased startup. who founder, a hunter, dreamed of making hunting easier when it comes to long range shooting.

>> and the system we have today is three years of product development and about $40 million. >> reporter: it went on sell this january. rotation of the earth, spin drift, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, uphill or downhill angles and a moving target, every variable calculated by a computer. from there, it's displayed on an ipad through wi-fi. the rifle comes with both. using a fighter jet's target locking system, you set your tag, match up the cross hairs, and fire. >> that's good. accepted it. >> hit. >> reporter: experienced marksman, forget the math. amateurs, the learning curve just got quicker. >> this allows people to be proficient right away at shooting at long distances.

>> reporter: i have not fired a rifle ever, much less held one. i'm going to try to hit a target that's 850 yards away. >> put your hand right here and lean into the gun a little bit. >> reporter: doctor i see it. okay. >> pull that trigger to the rear and hold it back. keep it held back and align the cross hair with the tag. [ gunfire ] >> you hit it. >> reporter: wow. okay. >> all right. >> reporter: i hit the target. that was 250 yards. i'm ready to tag. next i went for 575. >> hit. >> reporter: hit it? >> yeah. >> reporter: and finally, 850 yards away. >> hit it. that's good. >> reporter: three for three. so if i can do it, anyone can. and for some, that is a problem. >> there's no really words to describe how insane this is. >> reporter: elliott fineman is

with the national gun victim's council. he calls this a disaster waiting to happen. >> if i can hit a target from ten foonl fields away, no one is going to catch me and there's nothing you can do to defend against it. >> reporter: tracking points response is that any tool can be dangerous in the wrong hands. >> i would venture to guess that someone who is going to use it for something they shouldn't, they're not going to select a gun of this size and weight and cost. >> reporter: that cost starts, base model, and 2$22,500. >> if you use electronic devices, you're not doing the real thing. yoor cheating. >> reporter: but there are hundreds in texas who disagree.

>> you're probably looking at a january delivery. >> reporter: that's not too long, especially if you have the money, but not the time. >> i think this is the future of firearms. >> reporter: channel 8 news. >> and that was channel 8 reporting. the company says the technology is being made available for rifles with shorter range and smaller price tags. remember this? the last u.s. combat troops to leave iraq a request is coming from iraqi prime minister al-maliki meets with obama and he's expecting to ask for u.s. help in cracking down on surging terrorism and violence in iraq. consider a bumper sticker that never was. it could have hapsds according

to a new book that said the obama campaign considered bumping joe biden from the ticket and replacing him with hillary clinton. today, both obama's former chief of staff and current spokesman say that option was never seriously considereds. >> there was research done on all sorts of issues and people. and whether or not this or that. and that's a legitimate thing that campaigns do all the time. but it was not done with the intent that this ought to be done and there was need to do it. but in 2011, as you remember, it was a very difficult political year. my sense was we had to look at everything. it was a very difficult period politically. but not for a moment, as far as i know, did any of the senior people, including myself, thought that that was a good idea. >> i know for a fact that president obama never considered this, never thought about it, never entertained it.

the vice president has been a partner of his from the 2008 campaign on. he's been an excellent governing partner and campaign partner. and campaigns test everything. but as the book itself says, this was never considered by the president. >> obama's former senior advisor david plouffe also tweeted was there ever any kwgs of a hillary rod ham switch. the ipad air goes on sale today and in the united states. christine romans is in new york to tell us more about it. >> it's thin, carol. about 7 1/2 millimeters and light, about a pound, with a 9.7 inch display. this is light and thin. and it's silver and space grey are the two colors you can get.

pricing starts at $499. if you get the best models, you can pay up to $1,000 for this thing. it's pretty interesting. this is the fifth generation. and this product has really changed a lot. this is light. it is very light. it is very thin which is why they call it the air i guess, carol. >> i guess that does make sense. it's never -- we never wait too long between new apple releases. still i'm wondering, what's the next big thing? >> they have to keep us addicted and give us something to talk about. the ipad mini is probably the next thing around the corner. we're expecting that could be sometime this month. a smaller ipad probably coming out. we're always talking about, you know, the apple tv and iwatch and all of these other things. we don't know really what's going to be around the corner until they actually announce it.

so there you go. one thing we do know is that profit margins have been falling. that means apple is making less profit on each of things that apple is making. they have to work hard to keep us enticed with the new products and want us to get the next greatest thing. my ipad for the record is the ipad 1. >> you're too thrifty. still to come in the "newsroom," drug agents find a sophisticated tunnell underneath san diego. where it leads and what they found stashed underground. max and penny kept our bookstore exciting and would always come to my rescue. but as time passed, i started to notice max just wasn't himself. and i knew he'd feel better if he lost a little weight. so i switched to purina cat chow healthy weight formula.

i just fed the recommended amount... and they both loved the taste. after a few months max's "special powers" returned... and i got my hero back. purina cat chow healthy weight. guys, you took tums® a couple hours ago. why keep taking it if you know your heartburn keeps coming back? that's how it works. you take some tums®. if heartburn comes back, you take some more. that doesn't make any sense. it makes plenty of sense if you don't think about it! really, honey, why can't you just deal with it like everybody else? because i took a pepcid®. fine. debbie, you're my new favorite. [ male announcer ] break with tradition, take pepcid® complete. it works fast and lasts. get relief from your heartburn relief with pepcid® complete. get relief from your heartburn relief have hail damage to both their cars. ted ted is trying to get a hold of his insurance agent. maxwell is not. he's on geico.com setting up an appointment with an adjuster. ted is now on hold with his insurance company. maxwell is not and just confirmed a 5:30 time for tuesday.

ted, is still waiting. yes! maxwell is out and about... with ted's now ex-girlfriend. wheeeee! whoo! later ted! online claims appointments. just a click away on geico.com. to prove to you that aleve is the better choice for her, she's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with her all day to see how it goes. [ claira ] after the deliveries, i was okay. now the ciabatta is done and the pain is starting again. more pills? seriously? seriously. [ groans ] all these stops to take more pills can be a pain. can i get my aleve back? ♪ for my pain, i want my aleve. [ male announcer ] look for the easy-open red arthritis cap.

we'll take something tasty and healthy. ♪ must be the honey! ♪ there's a party going on in your cereal bowl ♪ ♪ o's can help lower cholesterol ♪ ♪ oh why does it taste so great? ♪ ♪ hey! must be the honey!

a sophisticated super tunnel is discovered snaking between san diego and mexico. it has lighting, ventilation, even an electric rail system. investigators also found drugs valid at nearly $12 million. now authority vz a new warning for the drug cartels. >> reporter: this is the door that agents busted down here. it's always a nondescript warehouse. 600 yards south of where we are standing is mexico and there's another warehouse on that side where the tunnel began. inside they found the drugs. there have been three arrests so far. but they're described as small fish in all of this. as diggers in the tunnel and transport folks, law enforcement officials say there will be more. >> and i would offer this to the drug cartels, we are by no means

finished here. and don't say we didn't warn you. you go underground, you're going down. >> reporter: law enforcement underscoring that the investigation has just gun and they're talking tough to send the signal to drug dealers whether they go urged the border, over it or in speed boats, that they will have surveillance and they will bust them. it is concerning to them, though, that cocaine was found in this tunnel. that indicates to them that as they say right now, that the drug cartels, that they are more desperate than they have been in the past. and the problem here in southern california is that the amount of hard drugs, co cacaine and hero and others have been coming in in greater amounts. and the price for drugs across

the country and the world have been going down. >> mig gel marquez reporting. still to come in the "newsroom," new rules for using electronic gadgets onboard an airplane. what do passengers think? that's next. [ male announcer ] if you can clear a crowd but not your nasal congestion, you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec-d®. powerful relief of nasal congestion and other allergy symptoms -- all in one pill. zyrtec-d®. at the pharmacy counter. this is the creamy chicken corn chowder. i mean, look at it. so indulgent. did i tell you i am on the... [ both ] chicken pot pie diet! me too! [ male announcer ] so indulgent, you'll never believe they're light. 100-calorie progresso light soups.

guys, you took tums® a couple hours ago. why keep taking it if you know your heartburn keeps coming back? that's how it works. you take some tums®.

if heartburn comes back, you take some more. that doesn't make any sense. it makes plenty of sense if you don't think about it! really, honey, why can't you just deal with it like everybody else? because i took a pepcid®. fine. debbie, you're my new favorite. [ male announcer ] break with tradition, take pepcid® complete. it works fast and lasts. get relief from your heartburn relief with pepcid® complete.

female narrator: it's posturepedic versus beautyrest it's posturepedic versus beautyrest with up to $400 off. serta icomfort and tempur-pedic go head-to-head with three years' interest-free financing. mattress price wars are ending soon at sleep train. ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪ delta flight attend yanlts will have one less thing to remind you about before the plane takes off. >> your mobile phones and other electronic devices should be turned off. once airborne, we'll let you

know when you can used approved electronic devices. but note that some items, such as phones, minute be used in flight at any time. >> but you can use your other electronic devices. delta is the very first airline to allow you to use things like ipods and kindles during take off and landing. we're outside the airport, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. a lot of passengers we've spoken to say that this is a long time coming. and quite frankly, delta tells us that it's been safe for some years to use your personal electronic devices during take offand landing. and the point bpg, i do it. i'm sure so many of our viewers do it. we keep our personal electronic devices on during take offand landing any way. and the flight attendants are quite tired of bossing the passengers around. and the passengers that we spoke

to said they're tired of getting the rules enforced on them. take a listen. >> we travel by plane so seldom it is not a big deal for us. >> it's going to be more firkt for my workday. >> i think it should go further. right now is it's a good step in the right direction. >> reporter: passengers will now be able to watch movies, read their books, listen to the music. but the real issue is going to be chargers. the longer we keep our phones on, the longer we keep our personal electronic devices on, the more battery gets drained. and they don't have outlets for chargers. >> poor, poor passengers. it's so sad for them. it's like -- it's funny. because when you really think about it, you turn your device off for, what, ten minutes during take offand ten minutes during the landing. it's not like it's a huge

hardship or anything. >> reporter: no. and it really about getting the attention of the passenger as well. i spoke to a husband of a flight attendant yesterday and he was tell me it's about having the attention of the passenger during the safety instructions. it's not so much about interference with the cockpit, although that was an issue in the past. it's not anymore. the passenger we speak to say it's no different than being engrossed in a book. it's a long time coming for the rules to change. >> thanks so much. still to come in the "newsroom," the attack on the u.s. kons let in benghazi. for the first time lawmakers will get to question the secret u.s. operatives on the ground as that attack unfolded. ♪

(train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec-d®. powerful relief of nasal congestion and other allergy symptoms -- all in one pill. zyrtec-d®. at the pharmacy counter. and other allergy symptoms -- all in one pill. humans -- we are beautifully imperfect creatures, living in an imperfect world.

that's why liberty mutual insurance has your back, offering exclusive products like optional better car replacement, where, if your car is totaled, we give you the money to buy one a model year newer. call... and ask an insurance expert about all our benefits today, like our 24/7 support and service, because at liberty mutual insurance, we believe our customers do their best out there in the world, so we do everything we can to be there for them when they need us. plus, you could save hundreds when you switch -- up to $423. call... today. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

guys, you took tums® a couple hours ago. why keep taking it if you know your heartburn keeps coming back? that's how it works. you take some tums®. if heartburn comes back, you take some more. that doesn't make any sense.

it makes plenty of sense if you don't think about it! really, honey, why can't you just deal with it like everybody else? because i took a pepcid®. fine. debbie, you're my new favorite. [ male announcer ] break with tradition, take pepcid® complete. it works fast and lasts. get relief from your heartburn relief with pepcid® complete. good morning. i'm carol costello. thanks for joining me. behind closed doors. cnn has learned that congress is rambling up its investigation into the terror attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya. as you recalled four americans died in that attack. and republicans critical of the white house on that night, have demanded answers. we've learned that cia

operatives who were on the ground that night will share new dames of the siege. good morning. >> good morning. what these congressmen want is unfiltered information from the people who were actually there. they don't trust the administration to tell them the story. now they're going to get the story, they believe, straight from, as we say, the horse's mouth. >> reporter: cnn has learned a house intelligence subcommittee is scheduled to here from security officers in benghazi who are expected to tell a much more detailed story on what went on the night four people were killed in a terrorist attack. the men describes by sources to cnn as former navy s.e.a.l.s, and former army special forces and marines were under contract to guard the agents on the

ground. the security officers were among those who responded during the attack on the night of september 11th. sources tell cnn they will appear behind closed doors in a classified congressional hearing the week of november 11th. members of congress have been trying to get access to them and other agents. but as cnn has been reporting, those attempts, at least to date, have failed. sources tell us that only one cia operative who was in benghazi during the attacks have gone before the committee. they have been unsatisfied with the investigation so far conducted by house intelligence committee chairman republican mike rogers. those his staff defends the work of the committee, previously telling cnn that the kpauftive review has included nine hearings and vow that the investigation continues. but still, according to sources, only one of the estimated nearly

2 dozen cia operatives on the ground has testified before members of congress. fred burton has written a book about the benghazi attack now being turned into an hbo movie. >> congress, as well as the agency, are going out of their way to protect whatever it was that they were doing operationally in libya. >> reporter: and sources say the cia has been trying to keep its employees quiet. cnn reported earlier that some operatives involved in the agency's mission in libya come plapd that they had been subjected to frequent polygraph examinations to find out whether they've spoken to congress or the media according to sources within the agency's workings. the cia says this is false telling cnn not a single cia officer who was on the ground in benghazi during the attacks has been subjected to any cia

polygraph intended to discourage them from speaking to congress or as a retaliation. adding, that to date some of the officers have already spoken to the committees on benghazi. cnn has heard from congressmen who are unconvinced they are getting the whole truth. one congressman tells us we know what they tell us they were doing in libya, but it's unclear if we really know what the agency was up to. and carefol at the root of this is a tremendous amount of distrust between house republicans and the administration. they don't believe what they're hearing. they want to hear it as direct from the people as possible. >> many american people don't believe it either. so the cia objectives will testify behind the closed doors. will the public ever know what they were doing in libya? >> they do keep secrets. but they are to act as the

american's people kind of purr vaer of this information. at least our elected representatives will know and get some kind of explanation. whether that will leak out, we'll see. >> other top stories we're following this morning at 32 minutes past the hour. we're learning whether the obama administration tested whether it would be a good idea to replace joe biden from the ticket last year with hillary clinton. experts from google will help fix the obama care website. they announced a surge of tech experts joining the team after a 36-hour crash of the website. the administration says the site should be working by the end of the month. now to the amazing story of a police officer in texas who refused to give up after she was

shot in the face. this officer was shot through the left cheek, you'll see it in a minute, but she would not stop chasing the guys who tried to kill her in a spray of bullets. her dash cam caught all of the drama on tape. cnn correspondent pamela brown joins me now. >> reporter: really an incredible story. she was actually shot twice at point blapg range. it was a tract stop turned terribly wrong. this officer after being injured chased after the suspects for nearly ten minutes. it was all captured on dash cam vid video. and now she's pleading for help in capturing two of the suspects that are still on the lose. >> shots fired. i'm hit. >> reporter: this dash cam video shows the terrifying moments after a routine tragic stop was

made. as she approaches a car, a passenger pulls out a gun and shooted her twice according to police. one bullet hit her vest and the other pierced her face. wound and in serious pain, she returned fire before getting back in the car and pursuing the suspects in a high speed chase. despite her injuries, she chased the suspect through seven mitts through the streets through houston. >> i was born to be a protector. >> reporter: ending when the three men in the car ran into an apartment building. the alleged 21-year-old shooter was taken into custody. police say the other two men on the run are 28-year-old freddie enriquez and daniel cruise. other officers rushed to her

aid. she was rushed to the hospital and is now recovering now at home with her family. >> i just want to give myself some time to relax and kind of feel the beauty of life that i was blessed to have. >> reporter: and in light of what she just said, she went trick-or-treating with her kids last night. so she's healing and in recover. for the two men, there's a $10,000 reward being offered for any information leading to their arrest. you're asked to call crime stoppers of houston. but really just a hero. and lucky to be alive after going through that. >> and hour thanks to her for her service. pamela brown, thanks so much. still to come in the "newsroom," kerry washington and the "saturday night live" scandal. can one of hollywood's hottest

black actresses take this show to task? we'll talk about that. splenda® lets you experience the joy of sugar without all the calories. think sugar, say splenda™ and better is so easy withrning you cabenefiber.o something better for yourself. without all the calories. fiber that's taste-free, grit-free and dissolves completely. so you can feel free to add it to anything. and feel better about doing it. better it with benefiber.

so hurry in and try three succulent entrées. like our new snow crab and crab butter shrimp, just $14.99. only at red lobster where we sea food differently. [ male announcer ] now try 7 lunch choices at $7.99. sandwiches, salads, and more. you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec-d®. powerful relief of nasal congestion and other allergy symptoms -- all in one pill. zyrtec-d®. at the pharmacy counter. female narrator:

it's posturepedic versus beautyrest it's posturepedic versus beautyrest with up to $400 off. serta icomfort and tempur-pedic go head-to-head with three years' interest-free financing. mattress price wars are ending soon at sleep train. ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪

kerry washington from the hit tv show "stanl" is hosting "saturday night live" this weekend. she's the first black actress to appear on the show since the show's cast members said they would no longer dress in drag to impersonate black women. they haven't had a female black cast member for six years. we're now getting a preview on her upcoming appearance on snl. >> hi, i'm carrie washington. >> i just had a super spicy peppers. >> we both did. it wasn't that spicy. >> then you must have the devil's tongue. >> it wasn't that spicy. >> it was very spicy. >> buck up.

that's disgusting. >> awwwwww. >> comment on that sketch at all. but joining us is kim coals from living single and he will zi grahaming ton. welcome to you both. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> thank you so much for being here. lz, i feel like we're putting a lot of pressure on her to not only be funny but to address this diversity issue. is it fair? >> no. it's not fair. but if anyone can handle the nuance of that, it would be kerry. she's more than just a beautiful case. she is someone who has been active in the political scene. we've seen her in realtime talking about larger issues. we've seen her campaign for the obama administration.

if anyone could handle that balancing act, it would be her. >> i want to remind our viewers what they said about the lack of black female comedians. it's just a tough part of the business. like in auditions, they never find ones that are ready? should washington take on keenen during the show? >> it's going to be interesting what they decide to do with this. it's been a fire storm amongst black women who say there are a lot of us who are very ready. and let's keep it real. when you go on an audition, there are many people who are not ready and many people who are. but of the six people they did find, i would like to believe that if they cast their net a little further, they could certainly find a woman of color who is funny and so ready for that show. >> we did exactly that. we cast our net. what about funny young black women on television.

retta, tyler, and others. there are funny black women in america. >> you know, we've seen this conversation time and time again in which whoever happens to be the majority, whoever happens to be in power, regardless if it's based upon gender or race or what have you, they always say we can't find the other. it's too hard to find. it's a tired conversation. but the truth is that "saturday night live" is not unique in this. prime time in general has a difficult time with diversity. news, who is reporting sports. show runners. prime time still has a diversity issue. >> what is funny about men dressing up as women. i really don't understand that. >> well, let me say this. i love a good drag queen as much

as the next girl. as long as these brothers are willing to get dressed up as women, they're not going to work that hard to find a funny black woman. i think that it is time to just open it up. i think this conversation is so important. and i've been watching this show since i was a young girl. and there's only been four black women who were cast members on that show in that 40-year span. funny is funny. but there is room. and america is a beautiful mosaic. and this show, as well as many shows, should represent us or we should be represented on these shows. he look ridiculous, and i get that. but i -- >> it's such an old joke, though. they've been doing -- >> this is history. there is a long history of black men, black male comedians being more acceptable in society being

dressed as women. we can go all the way back to flip wilson. we can talk about the fact that the highest paid black woman in hollywood is actually madea, tyler perry dressed in drag. and that's the larger conversation that needs to be happening. >> that's a huge conversation that needs to be happening. >> yes. we could go on and on. kim coals, you're hilarious. lz graham, you're funny too. >> and throw my name into that hat. i'm free. >> you're great. you're awesome. >> thanks to you both. have a great weekend. still to come in the "newsroom," crack cocaine. the mayor of toronto said, he is not addicted to it. really? >> i do not use crack cocaine nor am i an addict of crack cocaine. as for a video, i cannot comment on a video that i've never seen

or does not exist. >> now police say, mr. mayor, there is a video. and the mayor was forced to respond. we'll be right back. the day we rescued riley, was a truly amazing day. without angie's list, i don't know if we could have found all the services we needed for our riley. for over 18 years we've helped people take care of the things that matter most. join today at angieslist.com you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec-d®. powerful relief of nasal congestion and other allergy symptoms -- all in one pill. zyrtec-d®. at the pharmacy counter.

the end. lovely read susan. but isn't it time to turn the page on your cup of joe? gevalia, or a cup of johan, is like losing yourself in a great book. may i read something? yes, please. of course. a rich, never bitter taste cup after cup. net weight 340 grams. [ sighs ] [ chuckles ] [ announcer ] always rich, never bitter. gevalia. [ announcer ] always rich, never bitter. and it feels like your lifeate revolves around your symptoms, ask your gastroenterologist about humira adalimumab. humira has been proven to work for adults who have tried other medications but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe crohn's disease. in clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief, and many achieved remission.

humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your gastroenterologist about humira today. remission is possible. when ouwe got a subaru.s born, it's where she said her first word. (little girl) no! saw her first day of school. (little girl) bye bye! made a best friend forever. the back seat of my subaru is where she grew up. what? (announcer) the subaru forester. (girl) what?

(announcer) motor trend's two thousand fourteen sport utility of the year. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. a video showing toronto marion ford doing drugs does exist. and police say they have that video in their possession after a drug raid earlier this year. now, the mayor addressed the issue at a press conference. but the defiant denials from the past six months, vanished. more now from cnn affiliate cbc news. >> what don't you understand? get off the property. >> reporter: clearly fed up with reporters and clearly toronto mayor sensed this would be a bad day. >> get off my property! >> i'm leaving! >> reporter: within hours, they have a video, it is consistent with one talked about more months allegedly showing ford smoking crack cocaine at the house in this picture. it's the photo of ford with drug

and gang figures, one who is now dead. >> the file that we have recovered depicts images which are consistent with those reported in the press. >> reporter: and for a police chief trying to be careful, he offered an opinion. >> i'm disappointed. i know this is a traumatic issue for the citizens of this city and the reputation of this city. >> reporter: does the video concern the mayor? when news first broke in may, there was a robust denial. >> i did not use crack cocaine nor am i an addict of crack cocaine. as for a video, i cannot comment on a video that i've never seen or does not exist. >> reporter: a far more subdue ed mayor. >> i wish i could come out and defend myself. unfortunately, i can't because it's before the courts.

>> reporter: what he now knows is that there are actually two relevant video files that police picked up in a june raid. videos that had been deleted but since recovered by the cops. a close associate of the mayor, sometimes called the mayor's occasional driver, was arrested on charges of extortion in connection with the video. this man's name, with fords, pepper more than 400 pages of court documents and surveillance images released. documents heavily redacted. police say there's nothing in the video or the documents to support a charge and they have tried to talk with as many people as possible, but some have refused. rob ford it seems has not spoken with the police but they won't say why that is. >> still to come in the "newsroom," imagine touchdowns

taken away because of show boating. it could happen. so is the nfl turning into the no fun league? ♪ [ female announcer ] just about anywhere you use sugar, you can use splenda® no calorie sweetener. splenda® lets you experience the joy of sugar without all the calories. think sugar, say splenda™

she loves to shop online with her debit card. and so does bill, an identity thief

who stole mary's identity, took over her bank accounts and stole her hard earned money. unfortunately, millions of americans just like you learn all it may take is a little misplaced information to wreak havoc on your life. this is identity theft, and no one helps stop it better than lifelock. if mary had lifelock's bank account alerts, she could have been notified in time to help stop it. lifelock has the most comprehensive identity theft protection available, guarding your social security number, your money, your credit, even the equity in your home. you even get a $1 million service guarantee. that's security no one can beat. don't wait until you become the next victim! call the number on your screen and use promo code notme for 60 days of lifelock identity theft protection and get a document shredder free. call the number on your screen or go to lifelock.com/notme.

[ chicken caws ] [ male announcer ] when your favorite food starts a fight, fight back fast with tums. heartburn relief that neutralizes acid on contact and goes to work in seconds. ♪ tum, tum tum tum tums! this week's rivalry express takes into one of the most anticipated games. we go to vax vil, florida. carlos diaz is there. good morning. >> reporter: i found outu out one stunning fact when i was here yesterday, georgia fans and florida fans actually get along. they get along of before the big game. it's the word's largest outdoor cocktail party about this

rivalry that's been taking place since 1943 in jacksonville, florida. it's not a situation where you have two teams battling to see who is going to be number one in the s.e.c. or even in the country. but you have two teams fighting for respect. they're fighting each other on saturday. but purchase the game, it's all about the tailgating. and the tailgating here in jacksonville is truly legendary. with 82,000 fans having one heck of a time. >> many thanks to you. also in the world of sports, the miami herld is reporting that dolphin's lineman jonathan martin has left the team and seeking treatment for emotional issues. he was apparently the target of a team prank on monday and he reportedly bottomed out of the lunchroom and not returned since. the player with the time who has spoken to martin says he's

spending time with his family. this is so unusual. >> yeah. it is. carol, young players, and this is a second-year player be. he started all 23 games that he showed up for the miami dolphins. he's a factor for the team. you usually hear about players being messed with when they're rookies. this is a second year guy. both of his parents are harvard educated. he went to stanford. there's a lot of reports about him being different. but it's quite unusual when you're talking about a guy of his size who has been a contributor for the football team. >> there are reports out there that he has emogsal issues. they played a prank on him or maybe bullied him or he felt he was being bullied and he threw his lunch tray down and walked out of the room. >> football is a frustrating

sport. it takes a lot out of you each and every time. we don't know a lot about jonathan martin. but who knows what's going on in his life personally and what the challenges are that they faces to get prepared each and every week. you would like to think, hey, we're tough guys and we can deal with this. but guys get tired of this stuff. it is unusual, particularly for a teechl who could use all of its starters on the football field. he's obvious a smart guy. you would like to see something come about with this. but it's very, very unfortunate when you start hearing about a guy being bullied in the nfl. he's a huge offensive lineman. >> and offensive linemen are important. >> they're my best friends to this day. to this day, i talk to every one of mine. >> i want to turn the corner and talk about something else. we have heard that the nfl is considering if you taunt the other team and then you make a

touchdown or after you make a touchdown, the nfl is considering taking that touchdown away because of poor sportsmanship. >> i was known maybe for celebrating a time or two in the end zone. you have to treat the game with respect. the nfl ask ul is all about respecting the game. these guys are adults. these are grown men. i don't want to see any excessive celebration that demeans or disrespects bad an opponent or the fan base in that city. but these are grown men. i mean, we're talking about the penalty in question or what would -- the penalty in question with golden tate waving good-bye when he was taken off. that was pretty harmless. you're a professional. your job is to stop this guy, if you don't want him waving at you, make the play. >> my hero is barry sanders.

he was so classy. >> no question about it. when i did do the dirty bird, i had a problem on the road. and people used to ask me why i didn't do it in the end zone. i said i want to respect the places that we're at. and they booed me for not doing it. >> and thank you for joining me today. i'm carol costello. "legal view" with ashleigh banfield starts now. >> a georgia high school student found dead in a rolled up gym mat. an accident or a murder? ten months after kendrick johnson's death, a u.s. attorney agrees to a federal investigation. plus huge developments in new york city's contro